Snowden still in Moscow despite Bolivian plane drama

VIENNA/GENEVA (Reuters) - Bolivia accused the United States on Wednesday of trying to “kidnap” its president, Evo Morales, after his plane was denied permission to fly over some European countries on suspicion he was taking fugitive former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden to Latin America.

Bolivia said the incident, in which the plane was denied permission to fly over France and Portugal before making a stop in Vienna, was an act of aggression and a violation of international law.

Snowden was not on the plane when it landed in Vienna, an Austrian official said. He is believed to be stranded in the transit lounge of a Moscow airport and the United States has been trying to get its hands on him since he revealed details of its secret surveillance programs last month.

The White House declined to comment on the Bolivian assertion.

The furor was the latest twist in a saga that has raised debate over the balance between privacy rights and national security. Revelations of U.S. surveillance on European countries have also strained transatlantic relations.

France said on Wednesday that free-trade talks between the European Union and the United States should be delayed by two weeks given tensions over media reports, stemming from the Snowden case, that Washington is spying on the 28-nation bloc.

‘NO ONE ELSE ON BOARD’

The Bolivian plane was taking Morales home from an energy conference in Moscow when it landed at Vienna airport on Tuesday evening. Austrian Deputy Chancellor Michael Spindelegger said Morales personally denied that Snowden was aboard his jet and agreed to a voluntary inspection.

“Based on this invitation from Bolivia, a colleague boarded the plane, looked at everything and there was no one else on board,” Spindelegger told reporters.

But Bolivian Defense Minister Ruben Saavedra said Morales’ plane was not searched because Morales had refused Austrian authorities entry.

Bolivia’s ambassador to the United Nations, Sacha Llorenti Soliz, expressed outrage at the chain of events.

“We’re talking about the president on an official trip after an official summit being kidnapped,” he said in Geneva.

“We have no doubt that it was an order from the White House. By no means should a diplomatic plane with the president be diverted from its route and forced to land in another country.”

The ambassador said Bolivia’s anger was directed at the United States and the countries that prevented the plane from flying over them.

The Obama administration has advised foreign governments that allowing Snowden to land on their territory could seriously damage their relations with the United States, U.S. and European national security sources said.

The sources said the administration believed such lobbying played a role in persuading countries to which Snowden had applied for asylum to reject or not respond to his bid. The United States believes its diplomacy also has caused countries whose leaders publicly expressed sympathy for Snowden to have second thoughts about the matter in private, they said.

Supporters of Bolivia's President Evo Morales shout slogans in front of the Bolivian embassy in Caracas, July 3, 2013. Bolivia on Wednesday accused the United States of trying to "kidnap" its president, Evo Morales, after his plane was denied permission to fly over some European countries on suspicion he was taking fugitive former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden to Latin America. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins

The plane eventually left Vienna and landed in Spain’s Canary Islands for refueling before heading back to Bolivia. But the incident was not likely to be forgotten quickly.

Llorenti said Bolivia, which is part of a Venezuelan-led leftist alliance that has challenged U.S. political and economic influence in Latin America, would complain to the United Nations.

‘UNJUSTIFIABLE ACTS’

Leaders of the South American bloc Unasur, which promotes trade and cooperation among their governments, demanded an explanation for what they called “unfriendly and unjustifiable acts”. A Brazilian government official said Unasur would hold a ministerial meeting in Lima on Thursday to discuss the diversion of Morales’ plane.

In a statement from Peru’s government, which holds the group’s presidency, Unasur expressed outrage and indignation that the plane was not allowed to land in Portugal and France.

Slideshow (8 Images)

Bolivia is among more than a dozen countries where Snowden has sought asylum and Morales has said he would consider granting the American refuge.

The 30-year-old Snowden, who worked for the National Security Agency as a contractor in Hawaii, has been trying since June 23 to find a country that will offer him refuge from prosecution in the United States on espionage charges.

But his options have narrowed since he arrived in Moscow from Hong Kong with no valid travel documents after the United States revoked his passport.

Five countries have rejected granting Snowden asylum, seven have said they would consider a request if made on their soil, and eight said they had either not made a decision or not received a request.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is unwilling to send Snowden to the United States, with which Russia has no extradition treaty. But he is also reluctant to damage ties over a man for whom Putin, a former KGB spy, has little sympathy.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was also in Moscow for the energy conference, said on Tuesday he would consider any asylum application from Snowden. There was no new word from him on Wednesday.

Despite France’s role in the plane incident, Paris called on Wednesday for a delay in talks between the European Union and the United States on a free-trade accord.

Government spokeswoman Najat Vallaud-Belkacem said Paris did not want to halt the negotiations on a deal that could boost the EU and U.S. economies by more than $100 billion each per year.

“On the other hand, it would seem wise to us to suspend them for a couple of weeks to avoid any controversy and have the time to obtain the information we’ve asked for,” she said.

The European Commission in Brussels and Germany both said they wanted the first round of talks to start as scheduled on Monday in Washington.

The EU has demanded the United States explain a German magazine report that Washington was spying on the bloc, calling such surveillance shocking if true. French President Francois Hollande said the alleged action was intolerable and could hinder U.S. relations with Paris and the EU.